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13th Mar 2023

Richie Sadlier delivers poignant interview about parenthood on Tommy Tiernan Show

Rory Fleming

The former Irish international opened up about becoming a parent for the first time.

Former professional footballer Richie Sadlier appeared on the latest episode of RTÉ’s ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’, on Saturday evening, in what proved to be one of the series’ most emotive episodes to date.

Sadlier, who has been public in the past with his and his partner Fiona’s struggles to conceive a child, produced a compelling conversation with the show’s comedian host.

Speaking to the numerous unsuccessful rounds of IVF the couple endured, they were overcome with joy when their son, Sam was born at the beginning of this year.

Richie Sadlier didn’t hold back when broaching the topic, discussing in detail how he felt he was taking on the biggest role in his life.

A clearly emotional Sadlier paused on numerous occasions as he attempted to convey his love for his newborn child; “He was born on a Friday… I’m only recently at the stage where I can saw ‘my son’ without crying”.

The former Millwall striker, added in a touching manner that “Every time I talk about it or think about it in depth, I get like this”.

Richie Sadlier praised for his interview

Having conceived Sam naturally after the failure of multiple rounds of IVF, both Richie Sadlier and his partner Fiona had undergone a whirlwind of emotions. Describing the elation of Sam’s birth, Sadlier said:

“When he came out, just all that other, all that other sh*** we’d gone through, it was just like… not that it was worth it or that it didn’t hurt, or we don’t regret… None of that matters now. It just doesn’t matter.”

The raw and poignant nature of the interview left viewers in awe, with one viewer tweeting “That was as engaging an interview as I have ever witnessed and your humility shines through. You should be very proud…”

Tiernan’s interview is not the first time in which Richie Sadlier has confronted such an emotive topic though, with the football pundit having returned to education a number of years ago to study psychotherapy.

That decision has since led Sadlier to openly discuss his own internal battles such as becoming a problem drinker and following a path of self-destruction.

In releasing an extraordinarily honest autobiography in 2019, the Dublin-native also detailed his heart-rending story of experiencing sexual abuse as an up-and-coming footballer.

Following the success of his autobiography, Sadlier last year also released a book aimed specifically at teens, which sought to teach them about issues such as relationships and consent.